Hospital in the home: constructions of the nursing role - a literature review

• Acute medical and nursing treatment in the home is increasingly seen as an alternative to hospitalization. Models such as hospital in the home (HITH) or acute home care are said to provide a safe, comfortable environment for patients that is conducive to healing.

• A review of the literature reveals the embryonic nature of the research and discussion related to this alternative care delivery model. In general, the benefits of hospital in the home programmes are presented in an uncritical manner.

• Medical practitioners have embraced the move to home care as a means of expanding the use of advanced technologies and improved drug regimes beyond the hospital walls.

• The nursing response has been mechanistic and recipe-like while advancing the HITH nursing role as an opportunity for speciality practice by virtue of the increased autonomy and independence required.

• This review demonstrates the influence of a professional mandate for specialization, and the ideological and scientific interests that have influenced the role of the nurse.

Body image dissatisfaction among males across the lifespan- a review of past literature

Objective: Most past research has focused on body dissatisfaction among females. This paper provides a review and evaluation of studies that have examined body dissatisfaction among males. Body dissatisfaction in males has been associated with poor psychological adjustment, eating disorders, steroid use, exercise dependence, as well as other health behaviors. It is therefore important to understand the level of body dissatisfaction, as well as the factors that are related to this construct. Method: The review is divided into three sections: body dissatisfaction among children, adolescents and adults. Within each section, levels of body dissatisfaction are examined, as well as the research that relates to sociocultural influences on body dissatisfaction. Difficulties in drawing valid conclusions from the data due to methodological problems are highlighted. Results: From the current data, it would appear that there are strong similarities in the levels of body dissatisfaction of male and female children, with most children demonstrating high levels of body satisfaction. During adolescence, boys are about equally divided between wanting to lose weight and increasing weight, but there are few studies that have examined a desire for increased muscle size. In adulthood, men evidence a stronger desire to lose weight as they get older. Conclusion: Overall, past studies have primarily focused on questions that are relevant to females, and there is a need to conduct studies that evaluate areas of body dissatisfaction that have greater relevance for males. This will then allow a better understanding of the relationship between body dissatisfaction and psychological and behavioral problems experienced by males at all stages of the lifespan.

The impact of caring on caregivers' mental health : a review of the literature

This paper provides a brief overview of the literature on the impact of caring on the mental health of informal caregivers in the areas of aged care, disability and mental health. Factors discussed that may impact on caregivers' mental health include the relationship between the caregiver and care recipient, the nature of the care recipient's disability and the stage of the caregiving process. Several moderators of the impact of caring on mental health are described, including socio-economic factors, social support and coping strategies. This information provides a context within which to examine the type of interventions appropriate to assist caregivers in various situations.

Does successful treatment of constipation or faecal impaction resolve lower urinary tract symptoms? A structured review of the literature

Consensus guidelines advocate the treatment of constipation and faecal impaction in order to improve symptoms of urinary frequency, urgency and urinary incontinence and to promote bladder emptying in the absence of urinary tract obstruction. This structured review of the literature was undertaken to search for and appraise evidence to support or negate the hypothesis of this relationship. The search strategy was comprehensive and identified six relevant studies. Two of these had been conducted on an adult population and four studies involved children with constipation. These studies were appraised for methodological quality. It was found that sample sizes were small and evidence was inconsistent. Variable methods of reporting meant that data were not able to be pooled for meta-analysis.
Based on the limited and conflicting evidence, it is recommended that further research be undertaken to identify any correlation between bowel and bladder function.

The reliability of clinical indicators of oxygenation: a literature review

Despite oxygen being one of the most frequently administered substances in the hospital environment, there is little empirical data regarding its use. Review of the literature regarding the clinical assessment of hypoxia and hypoxaemia reveals inconsistency in the definition of terms and raises questions as to the reliability of the clinical indicators currently used to assess the need for supplemental oxygen. Assessment of the need for supplemental oxygen and continued re-evaluation of the patient's oxygen requirements is a nursing responsibility. Physical assessment, in combination with pulse oximetry, is the most common method used by nurses to assess oxygenation status. This paper critically appraises the literature to examine the reliability of clinical indicators of oxygenation used by nurses in acute care settings.

The role of nurses in preventing adverse events related to respiratory dysfunction: literature review

Aims. This paper reports a literature review examining the relationship between specific clinical indicators of respiratory dysfunction and adverse events, and exploring the role of nurses in preventing adverse events related to respiratory dysfunction.

Background. Adverse events in hospital are associated with poor patient outcomes such as increased mortality and permanent disability. Many of these adverse events are preventable and are preceded by a period during which the patient exhibits clearly abnormal physiological signs. The role of nurses in preserving physiological safety by early recognition and correction of physiological abnormality is a key factor in preventing adverse events.

Methods. A search of the Medline and CINAHL databases was conducted using the following terms: predictors of poor outcome, adverse events, mortality, cardiac arrest, emergency, oxygen, supplemental oxygen, oxygen therapy, oxygen saturation, oxygen delivery, assessment, patient assessment, physical assessment, dyspnoea, hypoxia, hypoxaemia, respiratory assessment, respiratory dysfunction, shortness of breath and pulse oximetry. The papers reviewed were research papers that demonstrated a relationship between adverse events and various clinical indicators of respiratory dysfunction.

Results. Respiratory dysfunction is a known clinical antecedent of adverse events such as cardiac arrest, need for medical emergency team activation and unplanned intensive care unit admission. The presence of respiratory dysfunction prior to an adverse event is associated with increased mortality. The specific clinical indicators involved are alterations in respiratory rate, and the presence of dyspnoea, hypoxaemia and acidosis.

Conclusions. The way in which nurses assess, document and use clinical indicators of respiratory dysfunction is influential in identifying patients at risk of an adverse event and preventing adverse events related to respiratory dysfunction. If such adverse events are to be prevented, nurses must not only be able to recognise and interpret signs of respiratory dysfunction, but must also take responsibility for initiating and evaluating interventions aimed at correcting respiratory dysfunction.

The phenomenon of presence within contemporary nursing practice: A literature review

Nursing practice underpinned by humanistic values may promote presence experiences within nurse-patient interactions. These interactions are powerful and beneficial both to nurse and patient. However, the phenomenon of presence is surrounded by competing and confused definitions. Whilst presence is arguably a core aspect of nursing practice, current health care environments significantly influence nurses' opportunities to experience presence.

Reflexivity, its meanings and relevance for social work: a critical review of the literature

The concept of "reflexivity" has become increasingly significant in social work literature in relation to social work education, theory and practice. However, our reading of the literature indicates that there is a lack of clarity about the concept in terms of who is being exhorted to be "reflexive," when and how. This article addresses these questions through a critical review of social work literature since the 1990s that discusses the concept of "reflexivity." Given that many authors seem to use the concepts of "reflexivity" and "(critical) reflection" interchangeably, we also apply this analysis to "reflection" and "critical reflection." This article raises important questions about how the concepts of "reflexivity," "critical reflection" and "reflectivity" are defined and the different consequences such definitions might have for social work education, theory and practice.

Do clinicians know how to use pulse oximetry? A literature review and clinical implications

Pulse oximerry has become one of the most commonly used tools in the clinical environment for assessing patients' oxygenation status. It is employed almost continuously in critical care areas and frequently in the general ward environment. Although it is a much better tool for determining hypoxia than the human eye, its use is limited if clinicians do not understand relevant physiological principles, such as the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve and the inherent limitations of the device. Furthermore, the risk for compromised patient safety is significant if clinicians fail to recognise the potential for false or erroneous readings. This paper explores the research which has examined clinicians' comprehension of pulse oximetry. Fourteen studies examining clinicians' knowledge of pulse oximerry were reviewed. These studies revealed significant knowledge deficits about pulse oximerry amongst nurses, doctors and allied health professionals, all of whom used this technology frequently. Alarmingly, those lacking an adequate understanding of pulse oximerry included senior, experienced clinicians. The studies were limited by their use of convenience sampling and small sample sizes. Further research is needed to better understand the significance of this problem and to examine how principles of pulse oximerry are taught to nurses and other health professionals at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Educators and clinicians alike must ensure that a safe level of knowledge for the use of pulse oximerry is maintained in order to ensure that patient outcomes are not compromised.

Assessment methods in social work education: a review of the literature

Student assessment is an important component of social work education, and consumes considerable effort on behalf of both students and staff members. Social work educators in higher education face the challenge of constructing assessment methods, which encourage the development of reflective and critical learning, as well as enabling students to demonstrate acquisition of required knowledge and/or skills. While there is now a substantial literature on field education, the assessment of classroom-based units has warranted less attention. This paper examines the range of assessment methods reported in the social work education literature, the evidence which supports the use of these methods and issues associated with the identified assessment methods.

Selenium content of Australian foods: a review of literature values

The aim of this study was to review the published literature values for the selenium content of Australian foods. A secondary aim was to compare the results for Australian foods with food composition data from international sources to investigate the extent of geographical variation. Published food composition data sources for the selenium content in Australian foods were identified and assessed for data quality using established criteria. The selenium content is available for 148 individual food items. The highest values found are for fish (12.0–63.2 μg/100 g), meats (4.75–37.9 μg/100 g) and eggs (9.00–41.4 μg/100 g), followed by cereals (1.00–20.3 μg/100 g). Moderate levels are seen in dairy products (2.00–7.89 μg/100 g) while most fruits and vegetables have low levels (trace—3.27 μg/100 g). High selenium foods show the greatest level of geographical variation, with foods from the United States generally having higher selenium levels than Australian foods and foods from the United Kingdom and New Zealand having lower levels. This is the first attempt to review the available literature for selenium composition of Australian foods. These data serve as an interim measure for the assessment of selenium intake for use in epidemiological studies of diet–disease relationships.

Conceptualising the requirements of CRM from an organisational perspective : a review of the literature

For an organisation to undertake a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) implementation program it needs to consider a multitude of requirements. Some authors have hinted at viewing CRM within a wider perspective than just  customer centric perspectives. The aim of this paper is to discuss the domain and conceptualise some of the requirements of CRM from an organisation’s point of view. However, CRM needs to be identified as the whole organisation, including its internal and external environments. Undertaking CRM in any organisation needs to be preceded by a sequence of stages. An organization needs to develop a roadmap outlining the path to become CRM centric. Therefore an organisation should address, or at least consider, a list of those factors at every stage of a CRM implementation program, for an implementation program to be effective. The main focus of literature in CRM has been customer centric. This paper, being the first stage of much wider research, will focus on the organisation and the internal environment. This paper will identify three information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) requirements in organisations that are integral parts of CRM. These need to achieve a level of synergy for successful CRM. To understand these three requirements (front-end systems, back-end systems, and datahandling technologies) in a CRM project is too great in magnitude at this early stage of the research. This paper begins to draw together the tenuous links between the three requirements of information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) systems. Writing this paper and shifting its focus towards requirements engineering, the author has realised that a whole area of literature has to be explored, because CRM is another IS implementation.

Research methods in sales ethics: a review of the empirical literature

From a review of the empirical sales ethics literature, this paper reports findings about some of the research methods used to investigate the decision-making of sales practitioners under ethical conditions. The review identifies that several of the methodological deficiencies raised by previous reviewers of the literature have not been adequately addressed by subsequent researchers. The paper primarily reviews quantitative research studies because of their prevalence in the empirical sales ethics literature, and because studies similar to these have contributed much to marketing ethics theory. This discussion also focuses on sampling and data collection methods, the treatment of respondent and non-response bias, the use of instruments and scales, and the application of the scenario technique. Some suggestions are made that would improve the research methods in each of these areas.

Three strategic dimensions of information security in ecommerce : a literature review based conceptual model

Important eCommerce requirements are a robust and secure technical infrastructure, and the ability to ensuring the security of information, and to satisfying certain related legal requirements. In this paper, based on a literature review, we present a high-level conceptual model of information security in eCommerce, consisting of three strategic dimensions: protecting organizations' information, satisfying certain legal requirements, and enabling trusted and secure electronic transactions. Our conceptual model can be used by eCommerce managers as a tool in the strategic planning and management process, to better understand and communicate the inter-dependencies between business and legal requirements. The model can also be used for devising the goals and objectives relevant to their specific organization, for designing the policies that are needed, and deciding how technology will be managed and what training is required.

Consumer construction of sport consumption experiences through role play : a literature review

Evidence exists in the literature that many traditional consumer behaviours have fundamentally different meanings when considered in an experiential context. This paper posits that voicing during the experiential consumption of sport may in fact be a factor of experiential consumption rather than an expression of dissatisfaction as in the traditional complaint behaviour model. This is significant in the interpretation of experiential sport consumption where vocalising appears to serve purposes other than complaining. This paper revises the traditional complaint behaviour literature for explanations about vocalising and then offers some alternate conceptual propositions using experiential consumption literature.